Sweet Surrender
by BluestAngelDust
Summary: When Saiyuki High's Queen Bee, Rei Hino, bet her friends that she could score with anyone, guy or girl, at their school, she never thought they'd pick Saiyuki High's baddest Goth girl, Hotaru Tomoe. When the sparks start to fly, duck for cover. UPDATED!
1. The Bet

Sweet Surrender

Saiyuki High was like every other high school in Japan. They students hated getting up in the morning and going to school almost as much as they hated doing homework and taking tests. Their football team was one of the best around and everyone attended the games to show school spirit. The cheerleading squad thought they owned the school and wore their uniforms almost every day, regardless of whether or not there was a game. The teachers all wanted to retire as soon as possible and ran out for a smoke or six between bells.

And so, like every other school, Saiyuki High had its cliques. Actually, Saiyuki High had only two cliques: the popular kids… and everybody else. And the indisputable Queen Bee of the popular kids was the very beautiful, very rich and very confident Rei Hino.

She walked through the halls in her high heels as if she owed the school and, in reality, she did. Literally. Her father was a powerful politician that donated large sums of money to Saiyuki High each year and that made even the teachers hesitant to cross the Queen Bee.

And as the Queen Bee, she was at all times surround by the popular kids and jocks. Especially during lunch.

On one fine spring day during lunch, Rei Hino was sitting in the lunchroom with a few of her closest friends: Minako Aino, Haruka Tenoh, Jadeite Williams and Zoicite Adams.

"What do you think the mystery meat is?" Minako asked with a look of disgust as she poked her lunch with a fork.

"I don't know, it's not half bad though," Zoicite said as he nibbled on a piece of meat, earning him a look from everyone at the table.

The longhaired blonde shrugged and turned his attention to the Queen Bee, who was unusually quiet. He nudged Jadeite with his elbowed and pointed at the silent girl, arching a brow in question. His friend responded with a shrug and caught Minako's eye, cocking his head to the girl sitting next to the captain of volleyball team.

"Hey, Rei, what's wrong? You're being quiet."

"We usually can't get you to shut up," Haruka added with a smirk.

The comment earned the tall blonde woman a glare from the lavender-eyed teen and laughter from everyone else.

"Really though," Minako continued after she continued her giggling, "what's up with you? You've been all mopey recently."

A murmur of agreement passed around the table, causing Rei to wave her hand dismissively.

"Nothing's wrong. Just been tired lately."

"Have you been going to parties that we weren't invited to?" Zoicite asked with a pout.

Rei rolled her eyes at the antics of the blue-eyed man and bit into a piece of the mystery meat. The four blondes watched as she winced and tried to act casual while she chewed, though they all knew she wanted nothing more than to spit out the meat and rinse her mouth out.

"I know what's gotten her so down," Jadeite said suddenly, the smirk on his lips causing everyone, even Rei, to lean closer.

"What?" Minako asked, her curiosity peaked.

"Our little Rei hasn't managed to score with anyone in three weeks. Let's not even mention her hook up rate."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Minako said, rolling her eyes as the other two shook their heads disbelievingly. "Rei scored with… she hooked up with…"

The Queen Bee groaned softly and tried to sink into her seat to no avail. She had the maddening desire to wipe that cocky smirk off Williams' pretty little face.

"Hey, wait a minute! When _was_ the last time you hooked up with anyone?"

The only dark-haired teen at the table gulped nervously when she felt four pairs of curious blue eyes on her.

"Well… I hooked up with James…"

"That was…" Zoicite thought for a moment before his eyes widened. "Two weeks ago!"

"No way!" Minako screamed. "It wasn't two weeks ago! It was… holy shit, he's right!"

Rei groaned again before burying her face in her hands as the four blondes continued to discuss her love life. Why couldn't she have _normal_ friends?

"You know what I think?" Jadeite asked. He continued when he felt all eyes on him, three pairs curious one pair murderous. "I think Hino's lost her touch."

"What?!"

The entire cafeteria silenced when they heard the scream from the Queen Bee's table and saw the popular girl herself stand up, her chair crashing loudly to the ground. Upon feeling all eyes on her, Rei blushed softly and mumbled a curse before she picked up her chair from off the ground and sat down, never losing the aloft grace she possessed.

The student body soon came to life again as they continued their conversations. The blondes at the table then burst into laughter at the indignant cry of their leader, the angry glare directed at them only making them laugh harder.

After a few minutes later, their laughter subsided and they all turned to the situation at hand: Rei's seemingly lost love life.

"So, what you're saying is that our little temptress has lost her touch?" Haruka asked, arching a brow as she sipped her soda.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Jadeite confirmed with a smirk as his blue eyes gazed challengingly at the Queen Bee.

"That would explain her lack of… er… extracurricular activities"

Everyone at the table rolled their eyes at Zoicite before turning to an embarrassed Rei.

"Is that true?" Minako teased, her blue eyes practically glowing with mischief.

"Of course not!"

Zoicite and Jadeite shared a look before the former allowed himself to let his infamous smirk appear on his features.

"Prove it."

Rei should have sensed that something was wrong by the deep tone the feminine teenager took on and the look on his and his best friend's face, but she was too enraged and too willing too defend her pride to.

"Fine. How?"

Jadeite leaned over to whisper something in Zoicite's ear, which caused the longhaired blonde to grin wickedly. Minako and Haruka each nudged Zoicite and Jadeite respectively and as the two blonde boys filled in the two girls, Rei couldn't help but feel nervous at the smirks that appeared on the four faces. God, they looked like clones of each other.

"Okay, there is a way you can prove it to us."

Jadeite paused dramatically to make the Queen Bee antsy, though truth be told, she couldn't be any more nervous than she already was. After a few more seconds of silence, he leaned over the table slightly, his blue eyes flashing dangerously.

"You have to sleep with anyone we say."

Rei just smirked, her gaze never wavering as it locked on with Jadeite's eyes.

"No problem. Boy or girl, you just pick the person and I'll do it."

The alarms went off in the lavender-eyed teen's head again when the shorthaired blonde boy leaned back in his seats, his arms crossed. Minako was barely containing her laughter.

"Hotaru Tomoe."

* * *

Five hours after lunch, Rei Hino was still trying to get over her shock at the person he picked. Hotaru Tomoe?

The punk girl of Saiyuki High, _that_ Hotaru Tomoe?

Oh, what she wouldn't do to kill Jadeite Williams right now…

Of all the people in the school, why Hotaru Tomoe?

Maybe because she was the only person that _wouldn't_ jump into bed with her. If it had been anyone else, she needed only to offer and they would have leapt to their feet at the chance. But _not_ Hotaru Tomoe. She wouldn't care if it were Rei Hino asking her. Hell, she wouldn't care if it were _The Ruler of the Free World_ asking her. She'd _still_ say no!

Which made it very difficult for Rei. How in the world was she going to get Tomoe to sleep with her?!

The dark-haired girl paced back and forth in her room, trying to think of a way that wasn't forbidden by 'The Council of the Horrible Four Blondes.'

--Flashback –

"WHAT?!"

The four blondes only laughed at her scream and the shock on her paling face. Hotaru Tomoe?! HOTARU TOMOE?! What in the world were they thinking?!

"Are you kidding me?!"

The question only caused the laughter to grow louder. Rei sank slowly into her seat, her eyes wide as she tried to think of any reason _not_ to kill the four right there and then.

"Oh god, Rei, I thought you can score with **anyone**!" Haruka teased.

"Yeah! Nothing's too hard for _The_ Rei Hino, right?"

Zoicite's mocking only further enraged the Queen Bee.

"Of course not."

Jadeite's laughter stopped immediately as he focused his attention on the angry teen. Rei shifted in her seat, not liking the mad gleam in his eyes.

"There are a few… rules."

"Oh?" Rei asked, trying to sound casual though her mind was still reeling to grasp the reality of the situation. Hn, reality. Right.

"Yes. First of all, you can't tell her any of this. So you can't go up to our dear little Goth and tell her that you need to sleep with her in order to satisfy our bargain."

"Second," Zoicite continued, "you can't get her drunk or drug her. She can't be under the influence of anything-"

"Except Rei's charm," Haruka added with a shake of her head.

"Right," Zoicite said with a nod.

"Third, she has to be willing. That means no raping her, Rei," Jadeite said slowly.

The Queen Bee growled and stood up, her lavender eyes narrowed as she gazed at the blonde man with obvious anger and disgust.

"As if I'd ever sink down to your level."

Jadeite pushed his chair back and stood, leaning over as he snarled, his blue eyes flickering with anger. Minako and Zoicite jumped to their feet to calm the two and avoid a very messy fight in the middle of the lunchroom. As Zoicite pulled Jadeite back down, Minako managed to sooth Rei enough to get her to take her seat.

"All right, any more rules?" The Queen Bee spat out, her eyes burning a hole in Jadeite's skull and vice versa.

"No, that should be all, right?" Haruka asked, looking around to see the other three blondes nod.

"Good."

Rei stood, her exterior cool and untouched as she gave a curt nod to Minako and Haruka and casting a look at Zoicite, completely ignoring Jadeite. As she turned, she heard the shorthaired blonde man speak.

"Running scared?"

Rei flipped her hair, inconspicuously waving a dismissive hand at him, which only those that knew her well caught. The action caused the already enraged blonde man to growl.

"That's your job, Jadeite. I'm going to nail this."

--End Flashback—

The dark-haired girl sighed as she collapsed on her bed, staring at the dark red ceiling. If only she was as sure as she pretended to be.

* * *

So, that was the prologue of a new fic I'm working on. I know, I know, I should stop churning them out before I finish the ones that are going, but I _really_ wanted to write this one. I wanted to do an AU of the senshi in high school, aka the Death Trap.

Ah, I have to say, since this _is_ an AU, there will be OOC moments. Well, it's my fic and I have _some_ artistic license but I won't go overboard, promise.

As you've probably figured out, this is another Hotaru/Rei fic. Boy, I just keep churning them out, eh? There will be, as usual, Minako/Rei moments as well as Jadeite/Rei snippets. I can't have those two in the fic without including a little sumthin' sumthin', now can I?

As for the other pairings, it's going to be basically everywhere. Flings, past relationships/hook ups, one nightstands, illegal relationships cough cough and kissing between everyone and anyone.

Don't worry, everyone makes an appearance in this, which will make the fic kinda chaotic at times but eh, high school's a bi- I mean chaotic, isn't it? As for those I don't like much, cough Mamoru cough, their appearances will be shorter and fewer. I can't help it!

Oh, yeah, one last IMPORTANT thing!

Right now, there's a race kind of thing going on between THIS fic and my other new one, 'Bring Me to Life.' I've decided to make one of them one of the main fics and the other one a bit of an extra when I finish (and I WILL finish) 'Fallen From Grace.' 'Bring Me to Life' is a Minako/Rei and deals with the supernatural (for those of you who don't care to read it) and so will be a lot more drama versus the humor in this fic.

Well, I hope there will be humor since most people will tell you I have a _horrible_ sense of humor. When I say horrible, I mean Barney and Big Bird are funnier than I am. Fortunately, I'm less creepy (I hope) than they are so that _should_ balance it out… some.

But enough about the purple living Hell and the giant birdbrain (see, I'm hopeless). The point is, if this fic appeals to you and you want it to be the next main focus, tell me so! Otherwise I'm going to be focusing on 'Bring Me to Life' (but maybe that's what you actually want. In that case, just comment about this fic and tell me to update the other one or whatever. Maybe I should just stop talking to you and myself in these little parenthesis thingies. This is my damn A/N so _why_ am I making side notes in this when this _is_ the side note. God, the heat is getting to me. I swear. I'm not usually this idiotic. Well, I am but I don't want to really admit that to the two whole people that actually read my work cough Blankie and Meg cough. Fer gawd's sakes I thought I told myself I would stop these freakin' things! Argh, stopping now, I promise.)

I'll stop myself while I'm not ahead. Comments, suggestions and advice are always appreciated.


	2. The Beginning

Sweet Surrender

Rei Hino walked through the halls at a leisurely pace, lavender eyes staring straight ahead and ignoring the envious and lustful looks from the rest of the student body. Nothing she wasn't used to.

"And then said he didn't care, which pissed the shit out of Zoicite. So, Zoicite storms out of the party with Jadeite at his heels and Nephlyte tells Kunzite that he really knew how to shut Zoicite up and-"

The blonde walking beside the Queen Bee paused, looking at her friend in annoyance.

"You haven't been paying attention to a word I've been saying, have you?"

"Course, I have," Rei responded offhandedly.

"So what did Masterson say to Kunzite?"

The dark-haired woman said nothing, which forced her friend to sigh. Minako leaned against a locker, her golden mane catching the light perfectly when she shook her head.

"You're not still mad, are you?"

Rei bit back the urge to snap at her friend. What was she, really that _blonde_? Of course she was still mad. Not as much as before but still pretty pissed off. She went with silence.

"Come on, Rei, it's just some fun. If you don't want to do it, we'll just call it off."

The Queen Bee couldn't hold herself back this time, purple eyes flaming when she spoke, her voice an angry whisper.

"Are you crazy? Williams would have a field day."

"Why would I have a field day?"

Rei groaned softly. Speak of the devil. She turned to find Jadeite and Zoicite, who was looking rather downcast, approaching them.

"Nothing much. Just wonder if I should ask Zoicite to go to the party this Saturday with me."

Normally, a comment like that from the Queen Bee would have the longhaired man in a flirting frenzy, showering the lavender-eyed woman with compliments and winks. But today, the blonde said nothing. Hell, he didn't even look like he'd heard her.

"Hey, Zoey, what's wrong?" Rei asked, her teasing demeanor gone. "Did Kunzite mess up again?"

Minako groaned softly and rolled her eyes. Jesus, she didn't hear a _single_ thing she'd said? Normally, her friend would be all ears about how the platinum-haired Kunzite mess up with their friend. She must have been madder than she thought.

"Kunzite brushed him off yesterday," Jadeite said with a smirk. "He's been like this ever since."

"The fucker- I'm going to skin myself a kitsune."

"Why are you skinning Kunzite?"

The four turned to find the last member of 'The Council of the Four Horrible Blondes' or 'The Blondes' approach, an easy going smile on her lips and looking sharp as usual in a white button down and khakis.

"Kitsune screwed up with Zoey again," Minako informed.

"This is the fourth time in two weeks. Why do you bother with him, Zoicite?" Haruka asked, sounding annoyed and exasperated.

"The course of love is never smooth," came the mocking voice from behind the group.

Jadeite growled when he saw who it was, Minako managed to stifle a groan while Haruka frowned and Rei's eyes blazed. _He_ was the last person they needed.

"Nephlyte, why don't you go fuck a dog or something?"

The redhead just smirked.

"Temper, temper, Hino-sama."

"You haven't seen temper yet."

The blue-eyed man simply chuckled, flicking his long locks over his shoulder, which earned him a shudder from Minako.

"Just because you haven't bedded anyone in weeks doesn't mean you can take it out on me."

The Queen Bee's eyes widened for a second before the lavender orbs turned to Jadeite, burning with an intense anger.

"You told him?"

The shorthaired man shrugged, trying to seem undisturbed by the teenager's anger.

"Why do you think it was me?"

"Only you would talk to a creep like him," Minako stated, rolling her eyes.

"Now, now, no need for name calling, Pumpkin."

The captain of the volleyball team spun around to face the mocking redhead, a fierce flush appearing on her tanned cheeks.

"Don't ever call me that again."

"But you loved that nicknamed," Nephlyte cooed.

"Fucking-"

"He's not worth it, Mina."

They all turned to Zoicite, who had remained silent throughout the entire ordeal.

"And you are? Following Yokoyama around like a dog."

"Watch it," Haruka warned, her infamous anger starting to show from behind her mask of cool indifference.

Nephlyte just smiled, his blue eyes taking on a familiar vicious glean.

"What's wrong? The little mutt can't handle the truth?"

"How about this for the truth," Rei snarled, the anger and temper melting away and leaving behind a scathing cruelty, "you're a fucking bastard with a useless whore of a mother and a father that can't sell his way out of a paper bag. Everyone knows the only reason he's Tokyo '#1 Salesman' is because your mother sleeps with all his clients."

Minako unconsciously winced. She hated it when Rei took on that tone and persona, the one she's created after years of being around politicians and businessmen. It was the one meant not to mock or tease, but to inflict real damage.

The red-haired man winced, his eyes burning as he struggled to control himself. Then, the anger disappeared as he visibly relaxed. Nephlyte closed his eyes and shook his head. As suddenly as he had calmed, so suddenly did his laughter fill the crowded hallway.

"Rei, Rei, Rei. I see your father has rubbed off on you. Politicians, what can you do?"

Lavender eyes narrowed, the young teen preparing herself for whatever the tall redhead was about to say.

"Well, I suppose it's only natural. I mean, without your father, you'd be just another sniveling girl in this school. The only reason you're anything is because your father bought you a spot here, right?"

"Watch it," Haruka growled, stepping between Rei and Nephlyte.

"No worries, Tenoh," was the taunting response. "I'm not about to start something here."

"Good, Mr. Masterson, because I'd hate to give you detention."

The six turned to find a beautiful woman standing nearby, her garnet eyes flashing dangerously to warn Nephlyte. Her black suit clung to her lean form and accentuated the power radiating from her.

"Miss Meioh," the redhead greeted with a small bow.

"I believe Calculus is on the next floor, Mr. Masterson."

The tall playboy smiled charmingly before making a smooth, but quick, exit. Rei closed her eyes to calm herself while Haruka leaned against the wall, regaining her cool exterior. Jadeite relaxed, the readiness to jump someone gone as Zoicite smiled softly.

"Thank you, Miss Meioh," Minako said cheerfully, a huge grin on her pretty face.

The young teacher smiled back, though more restrained and smaller than that of the blonde. She gave a curt nod.

"You're welcome."

"I'm leaving," the Queen Bee said, her voice thick with anger as she turned abruptly on her heels and stormed down the hall.

"I got it," Zoicite sighed before running after her.

"I have to meet my partner for music," Haruka added, nodding at the red-eyed teacher before strolling towards the stairs.

"Suppose I'll leave too."

There was silence as Jadeite walked away, the students all clearing out of the hallway. Minako turned to the elegant teacher, the smile on her lips never wavering.

"Well, guess I better be off. Class is starting soon, ya know."

There was another nod. As the blonde ran off to class, she knew she saw a smile on the beautiful face.

* * *

Rei sat in the library by a window, her purple eyes scanning the crowd of students below. This lunch period, she decided to get away from 'The Blondes' and just get some peace and quiet. While the blondes meant well, it was sometimes more preferable to just sit somewhere and think.

And damn, was she thinking.

She was thinking about everything and nothing. Her mind jumped from Kunzite and Zoicite to schoolwork to the bet to Nephlyte's insults back to the bet again. She should be enjoying the nice weather outside, not paying attention to mindless matters.

But the thing was, the bet wasn't as mindless as it appeared to be. Her reputation was at stake, along with those of The Blondes. If it was made known that _The_ Queen Bee was having a horrible love life, her social enemies would gain control of the school and her supporters mocked. Hell, the likes of Nephlyte and his goons have probably already spread the rumor; they were just waiting for the bet to blow up in her face to prove it.

So much hanging in the balance of one stupid bet made carelessly during lunch. It was stupid and sad how much it all mattered, from popularity to bedding a classmate, but it was true.

And she had no idea if she could win.

Hotaru Tomoe was a loner, a punk and just about one of the only people in Saiyuki that neither gave a shit about the Queen Bee nor about social status. So, telling her she'd be more popular by sleeping with Rei was out of the question. She had done nothing to warrant Tomoe's attention or favor.

Hell, she's never even _talked_ to the girl.

Well, guess that's the first step then, talk to her.

Operation 'Sleep With Hotaru Tomoe' was now officially under way. Oh boy…

* * *

Rei Hino breezed into English class, where, rather conveniently, the only seat left was next to little Miss Goth herself. A couple of the popular kids shot her look of pity, though she ignored them all. With that indifferent confidence of hers, she walked to the back of the class and the seat next to the girl dressed all in black.

Anyone else would have looked at the Queen Bee in admiration and shock while blushing like crazy. She _was_ the head of the popular kids, after all. But no, not Hotaru Tomoe. The girl on the other side of her, however, did act so predictably and began to fidget.

The lavender-eyed girl rolled her eyes and took out her copy of _Mythology_ but Edith Hamilton and a pencil. The teacher chose that time to enter.

"All right, class, you were asked to read 'The Earlier Heroes' chapter. Anyone have a particular story they want to start with?"

Silence.

"Come on, any comments on the _short_ chapter?"

"It was bad," one of the boys offered, causing the class to roar with laughter.

"Quiet," the young teacher commanded, crossing her arms. "And why would you say that?"

"Well, Miss Granger, the first two stories were about Zeus' unfaithfulness, then about an idiot Cyclops and finally three stories about flowers that bloomed due to tragic youths. Fun chapter."

The brunette teacher growled softly in annoyance, flipping her large curls over her shoulder in a movement so graceful most of the boys literally started to drool.

"Come on, guys. Miss Hino?"

The Queen Bee blinked a couple of times, trying to remember how the stories went.

"Did you ever read the chapter, Miss Hino?"

Lavender eyes searched the room for a way out. She'd read the chapter… briefly, she just couldn't think of anything brilliant to say.

"Well," the teen started slowly, "I have a general comment."

"Anything would be fine."

"I've never seen a bunch of women more pathetic than the ancient Greek women."

The class laughed while the young Miss Granger arched a brow, slipping into her infamous 'Debate Mode' as she leaned against her desk.

"Why do you say that?"

Rei shrugged, crossing her legs and tapping her pencil against her book. It was no secret the Queen Bee hated it when she was challenged, but what most didn't know was that she loved being in a good debate more than anything.

"They're always in love with some god or other and completely devastated when their love, predictably, isn't returned. They then either whither away or they're 'lucky' and some god or deity takes pity on them and turns them into a tree or some animal."

The English teacher smiled, crossing her arms as her cinnamon eyes twinkled. Rei took this as a sign to continue.

"And then there are those with whom a god falls for but doesn't return the immortal's feelings. What, are they stupid? Why wouldn't you want a god for lover? Other than they're about as loyal as a teenage boy."

The guys in the class protested Rei's insult rather loudly. Miss Granger silenced them and the Queen Bee was warned with a glare. The dark-haired teen lowered her eyes for a second as an apology before continuing.

"Anyway, these women are then chased/stalked and then either taken by force, tricked into bedding the god or changed into- what else- a tree or animal. Women seen to serve no purpose other than to be transfigured or be toyed with."

"What about the goddesses?"

"They're the worst."

"Oh?'

"They're deceitful, easy to anger and envious of anyone they perceive as a threat to them. Not to mention they're merciless and often cruel."

"Sounds like the popular kids."

A couple of kids in the class dared to laugh out loud at the comment from the silent girl in the back corner, though most found it humorous and true, but would never voice such an opinion. Rei, as well as a couple of other popular kids, glared at Hotaru Tomoe distastefully.

"Miss Tomoe…"

"Sorry, Miss Granger," was the response of the teen dress all in black as she shrugged.

The brunette teacher nodded, a frown on her lips and motioned for Rei to continue. It took a few seconds for the Queen Bee to regain her bearings and to remember what she had been saying. The nerve of that girl!

"Even Athena, the Goddess of the City and perhaps the only strong goddess, is made out to be at times cold-hearted and bloodthirsty."

"Aphrodite has power over even the gods," Miss Granger reminded.

"But she uses tricks and clever little manipulations to get what she wants, all the time."

"And that's bad?"

There were a few chuckles and giggles here and there at the teacher's question.

"Yes," Rei said with a mysterious little smile. "A woman should only use tricks when it's impossible to simply take what she has her eyes on. After all, what a woman wants, a woman gets."

The Queen Bee smirked when Hotaru Tomoe turned to look at her with an expression of distaste and their purple eyes met. Yes, Tomoe, Rei Hino means you.

* * *

Minako sat on the hood of Jadeite's silver SUV, looking around for signs of the Queen Bee. Zoicite was sitting inside, listening to the newest Eminem song with the owner of the new car. Haruka had abandoned them to practice with her music partner.

The leggy blonde yawned, taking out a bottle of water from her bag. As she unscrewed the cap, she caught sight of someone that was not Rei Hino, but just as intriguing.

Hotaru Tomoe walked across The Great Lawn, looking like any other student. She was pretty, but wouldn't even attract your eye if she were dressed like everyone else. But, she didn't, and that, along with her attitude, set her apart.

The girl was short, 5'2" tops with her combat boots. But you couldn't even see her footwear under her baggy jeans, so it didn't matter. Her top was an equally large concert T-shirt with the word 'Staind' written in white. All the baggy clothes hid her tiny frame and her already pale features contrasted with all the black to make her seem ghostly and frail.

Her hair was cropped evenly at her shoulders, a black so dark it seemed almost unnatural, so much so, in fact, that Minako wondered if it was dyed. Her face was slightly round, but not chubby in any way, only a bit child-like and innocent. Off her shoulder dangled a ragged messenger bag, black, of course, with band patches all over the place.

The most startling thing about the girl was her eyes. Deep and intense, so unfathomable you think you'd drown if you ever looked into them directly. They were an amazing violet color, a few shades darker than Rei's eyes, but somehow shocking in the brightness of its color.

They could have chosen a far worse looking person for the bet, but Tomoe was perfect in a way no one else could be. Even the school tough girl, Makoto Kino, would eventually fall for Rei's charms. But Hotaru Tomoe, nothing fazed her in the least. She had no temper to speak of and no hobbies other than her music. She didn't excel in anything in particular nor did she have any friend worth noting.

In other words, if it weren't for her attitude and the way she dressed, she'd be a nobody.

Well, she _was_ a nobody, as in someone you'd only glance at briefly in the halls, but she was one by choice. Which made Rei's job terribly difficult.

"If I didn't know you better, I'd say you liked her."

Minako turned her attention to her left, where Rei sat on the hood next to her. With her usual cheerful humor, the blonde laughed.

"But you do know me better. Besides, she isn't terrible to look at. Who knows, maybe I'll have some fun with her after you're done."

The dark-haired girl arched a brow, lifting the shades she had on to stare at her friend with those eyes of hers. She then placed them back to their former position covering her eyes and shrugged.

"I thought you didn't like seconds, but sure."

"Rei, you don't plan on destroying the poor girl, do you?"

"The only thing I'm thinking about," replied the Queen Bee a she jumped down, "is winning. Whether or not I damage her is none of my concern. Besides, I can't help it if she's destroyed after I'm done with her."

Minako shook her head. "I almost regret daring you to go after her."

Rei laughed as she opened the back door of the SUV, sending a teasing look over her shoulder at her blonde friend.

"That woman you're with, whoever she is, is doing this to you. Ahh… what love does to a person."

Minako glared at the dark-haired teen before she got into the care. However, she couldn't rid herself of the sinking feeling that this bet wasn't going to be as simple as they all thought.

* * *

People walked past the dark-haired girl leaning against the wall outside the locker room and couldn't help but stare. Rei Hino was looking as good as usual, wearing a black jean miniskirt and a white blouse.

"Hino-sama."

Her intense eyes opened to find a shaking young girl standing before her. She smiled, and though it wasn't warm at all, it calmed the fidgeting freshman.

"Did you get it?"

"Yes, ma'am," the average looking girl replied, handing her an envelope.

Rei took it and pulled out a piece of paper, reading the contents and smirking. She then took out a small, cream envelope from her purse and gave it to the anxious girl.

"The party begins at eight and only bring one other person. Am I understood?"

"Oh, yes! Thank you, Hino-sama," the girl chirped before bowing.

But the Queen Bee was no longer paying attention to the girl. Hell, she didn't even know her name. It didn't matter though, she got what she wanted. With a look down the empty hallway, she turned and walked into the locker room.

It was perfectly empty, as she knew it would be at such a time. She walked to the window in the back of the room, looking at the track team practicing downstairs. Her eyes spotted Haruka almost immediately and watching the blonde caused hints of a crush she thought long dead to resurface. It can't be helped, though. It _was_ Haruka Tenoh, after all.

"What do you have there?"

Hearing the soft, slightly accented voice, the popular girl quickly shoved the envelope into her purse before turning.

"Nothing."

Blue eyes darkened with disappointment.

"Not very convincing."

Rei looked away, focusing on the track team again. Damn, of all the people to catch her, why her?

A small hand reached into the purse and pulled out the envelope. The lavender-eyed girl knew resisting was pointless at this point.

"Why do you have Hotaru Tomoe's schedule?"

"Why does it matter?"

"I know you, Rei, and you don't do things for no reason."

"You knew me," the Queen Bee snapped back.

There was a soft sigh and a body joined the dark-haired girl's on the windowsill.

"What do you have planned?"

"Nothing good."

"Rei-"

"Let's not get into this," the teen snapped, standing abruptly.

The hot-tempered girl sighed and turned to look at the quiet girl who just stared at her, disappointment and a bit of fear in her eyes. She placed her hands on the other teen's shoulders and smiled, a real, warm but weak smile.

"Don't worry, okay? Trust me?"

_'Like you would have before,'_ Rei thought but kept that to herself.

The girl sitting smiled softly and nodded. The Queen Bee sighed in relief under her breath and hung her head slightly. She hated lying to her but…

Looking into those crystal blue eyes, the trust she saw there, as faint as it was, she couldn't destroy that.

"I should get back."

Rei nodded and moved away to allow the girl to stand. Wordlessly, the blue-eyed teen left.

The dark-eyed girl hated the way there would be a little more fear, a little more distrust and a little more distance in the blue eyes. She had changed so much yet the other girl's faith in her never changed one bit. Well, perhaps it's changed but it was always still there. Only when she was with her did she feel that who she was at school became less of an act day by day. And that realization felt her empty and feeling helpless inside.

Outside the locker room, the other girl leaned against the wall where Rei had leaned only minutes before. She had to look out for Hotaru. The Queen Bee was good at being cruel, mocking and being a bitch, but a good liar she was not. It hurt that the Rei would lie to her, but things have changed.

With a sigh, Ami Mizuno walked back to class.

* * *

Well, there we go, the next chapter of 'Sweet Surrender.' Hope it wasn't too disappointing or anything. Added a bit of drama between the different popular cliques as well as set up the background for a romance between Zoicite and Kunzite (always loved the pairing, yupyup!). And I felt the need to give Minako a well-developed love life so I started in this chapter.

Hmm… I started a bit with the relationship of sorts between Hotaru and Rei. It'll only get more… explosive in later chapters.

As for that bit with Ami, I couldn't resist. I didn't want to make any of the characters seem too one dimensional (though I have a feeling I'll be doing that anyway) and so I threw in a relationship between Ami and Rei just for the hell of it.

Anything else I feel the need to add? Hmm, I guess not, except REVIEW! PLEASE! You guys have been great so far, so keep up the good work, eh? See y'all later!


	3. The First Act

Sweet Surrender

Rei whistled as she threw her book bag onto the bed. She then walked over to the closet and opened the doors. Lavender eyes scanned the shelves and racks before spotting what she was looking for.

"Can I borrow it or not?"

The Queen Bee smiled and held the skirt she was looking for in front of her and checked the image in the mirror. She then turned to the impatient blonde standing by the door.

"You're the one that wants to borrow my skirt, don't be so rude."

Minako arched her brow at the teasing but cheerful tone of her friend and crossed her arms.

"Why are you so happy?"

Surprisingly, the raven-haired teen giggled and walked back into her closet.

"Can't I just enjoy my friend's company?"

The blue-eyed girl rolled her pretty crystal orbs as she took a seat on the bed.

"You're going to have to come up with a better lie, Rei."

The Queen Bee reappeared holding a sexy but elegant black top and posed for the blonde. Receiving a small smile, she walked over and handed them to the popular teen.

"Wear that on your date tonight and she'll have trouble keeping her wits about her."

A pink blush painted Minako's cheeks as she accepted the outfit. Rei grinned and crossed her arms. As she turned to re-enter her walk-in closet, she remembered something.

"Oh, I invited two freshmen to your party."

"You what?"

The volleyball player knew there was a reason her friend was letting her borrow the clothes. But damnit, two freshmen?

"And why would you do that?"

Rei shrugged casually as she tried to pick between two blouses.

"It's not like you'll notice them anyhow. Besides, Jadeite and the boys need new meat."

Minako considered the teen's words before sighing.

"Fine. But _why_ did you invite them?"

"In return for Tomoe's schedule."

"Whoa, you got her **schedule**?"

The raven-haired teen rolled her eyes as she grabbed a halter-top.

"Yeah, so?"

"Rei, the freshy can get into serious trouble."

Minako felt a shiver go down her spine when annoyed lavender eyes turned to give her a fierce gaze. Oh, great.

"Since when do you care?"

The heated and sarcastic retort caused the popular blonde to regret her words.

"Better yet, since when have you become such a goody-goody?"

Rei turned back to the mirror when her friend stayed quiet. What the hell was the blonde's new woman doing to her?

"Aren't you going to be late for your date?"

Minako knew a dismissal when she heard one and made no move to stay any longer. She thanked the Queen Bee before quickly making her exit.

* * *

Lavender eyes stared at the piece of paper in her hands. Hotaru Tomoe's schedule couldn't be any more different from her own. While Rei's concentrated on all the classes that would look good on a college application, such as AP Calculus, Latin and AP Psychology, Tomoe's focused on art, music and languages. It was amazing they were even in the same English class.

They did, however, have one free together on Fridays, which, her sources tell her, Tomoe spends helping out in the library. That would be the perfect place to "bump" into the punk once in a while, since it was open to all students.

Only problem was, the Queen Bee knew for a fact Ami usually spent that free in the library as well. She had no desire for the brilliant girl to find out what she was up to. That would cause problems she wasn't ready to deal with.

Rei placed the schedule on the small table by the chair she sat on and stared at the dark sky overhead. Having a veranda was perfect for times like these. It was always quiet, the wide-open sky above and the forest below and all around.

Ami Mizuno, her childhood friend. They've known each other since they were born. Ami's mother was in the hospital room when she was delivered. They had practically grown up together, since their mothers were the best of friends. When the Queen Bee's mother passed away, her Dad saw no reason for the two girls to stop playing together. Hikaru Mizuno was one of the best doctors in the city and her daughter had inherited her intelligence.

By about seventh grade, however, Rei and Ami started to drift. The blue-haired girl had always been shy, not loud and confident her friend. Ami cared more about her studies than hanging out and gossiping.

By the time they were in high school, they ran in completely different social circles. They still talked occasionally, but very rarely. Now in their junior year, they saw each other only in the hallways and never even acknowledged the other in public.

But there was something still there that made they close. Not exactly best friends, more like sisters.

"Not if she finds out about the bet."

Rei couldn't afford for Ami to know. She couldn't lose her childhood friend.

Better be careful then.

* * *

Rei Hino was a beautiful woman that would look great in anything. Zoicite knew this, Jadeite knew this, hell, everyone knew this. But she was also one of those women that knew how to show off without revealing too much skin, being a bit on the conservative side at times, at least in school.

But what she's wearing today showed too little skin! Hell, it showed barely any skin at all!

"What are you guys staring at?"

Jadeite managed to close his mouth and shifted, raking his blue eyes up and down the form of the Queen Bee. He opened his mouth to speak but shut it quickly, seeing the look Zoicite was giving him.

"Well," the longhaired blonde started instead. "You're not showing much skin."

Despite the fact that it was true, Rei rolled her eyes. She shifted her messenger bag on her shoulder and leaned against a locker.

"So?"

"So? It's weird," Jadeite blurted out.

The Queen Bee couldn't help but agree. She looked down at her light blue jeans self-consciously; trying to remember when was the last time she wore pants in fall. Amazingly, she hadn't even worn boots or high heels, but a pair of comfortable white sneakers. She finished the outfit with a slightly loose turquoise blouse that was meant to be wrinkled. She had left the first two and the last two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up.

"But it looks good," Zoicite said quickly.

"You'd look good in a paper bag."

Rei didn't get a chance to turn around when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her stomach from behind. She giggled despite herself and leaned back against the embrace, looking over her shoulder to find a charming grin on Haruka's face.

"I think she'd look even better without anything," Jadeite added almost as a side note.

"You had your chance, Williams."

The Queen Bee withdrew herself from her friend's embrace and fixed the blonde basketball player with a heated look. He backed up slightly with his hands up, giving her that disarming smile of his.

"I know, I know. I was stupid, what can I say?"

"More like not say," Zoicite said with a nudge.

"All right, you two, knock it off."

The two blonde males turned to the tomboy to find her blue eyes fixed on the most popular girl in school. Rei had a thoughtful look on her face as she played with her lips unconsciously, a sign that something was troubling her.

"So, why _are_ you all covered up?"

Lavender eyes refocused on the three teens surrounding her as a sly smirk appeared on the ruby red lips. She started down the hall, leaving them in her wake. Zoicite gave Haruka a look, who just shrugged and caught up with the Queen.

"Come on, Rei, do tell."

It wasn't a surprise that Jadeite was the first to figure out there was a "dark" purpose for her outfit. She paused.

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

Before they could question her, the bell rang, signaling the start of first period. As tempted, as they were to know, the three blondes dispersed to get to their respective classes on time. The raven-haired girl sighed softly and massaged her temples. She prayed she could pull this off.

* * *

Hotaru Tomoe grabbed another book off the cart and placed it back on the shelf where it belonged. One down, three dozen to go.

Being a teenager herself, she knew just how messy they could be. But was it really that hard to put a book back where they found it? It was a basic skill taught in pre-school, putting things back where they belonged.

'You don't go to just _any_ school, Tomoe,' she reminded herself as she found yet another book in the wrong spot. 'You go to Saiyuki, the center of rich brats that are used to their eleven butlers and sixteen maids cleaning up after them.'

After a good fifteen minutes, she finally managed to get all the books back in their rightful places. She took a seat at the checkout desk, shooting Ami a small smile when the blue-haired girl looked up from her reading.

"That took longer than usual."

Hotaru turned down her music, a sign of respect few got, or deserved, as she let out a dramatic sigh.

"The books were giving me a hard time today."

Ami giggled softly, putting her book down. The other girl opened her book bag and grabbed a notebook from within, tossing it on the table.

"So, what have you been up to? Haven't seen you in a while."

The blue-eyed girl blushed, hiding her face quickly behind the book she'd been reading. Hotaru chuckled, uncapping her green pen.

"Been sneaking off with Mako, have you now?"

"Hotaru!"

The punk chuckled again, loving the shade of maroon the other teen was turning. She loved teasing her about her relationship with a certain brunette.

Their conversation was cut short when the door opened. Hotaru turned her eyes toward the entrance, expecting one of the regulars. To her surprise, Rei Hino herself stepped through the double, wooden doors. She saw Ami stiffen from the corner of her eye and her defenses shot up. People like the Queen Bee loved to make the lives of people like the blue-haired genius and her miserable.

The teen walked up to the checkout desk, her raven mane flowing behind her like a silk train. She placed the books she had in her arms down on the desk and eyed the two teens evenly.

"I'd like to check out the books Mr. Watase reserved for his Advances Asian history class."

"You'd have to be in that class in order to borrow them," Hotaru said dryly, eyeing the Queen Bee in obvious distaste.

Rei leaned forward, her eyes darkening a shade as she felt a growl rise from her throat, which she managed to push back. Ami quickly stepped in, standing and smiling softly.

"What she means is, can we please see your schedule?"

The teen's eyes flickered over the blue-haired genius, feeling her anger fade...slightly. She grunted and grabbed her binder from her messenger back, opening it to show the two girls behind the checkout desk.

"Hotaru, could you go get them, please?"

The black-haired girl reluctantly rose, not wanting to leave Ami alone with the Queen Bee. She had her trip to the back room quickly.

By the time she returned, she found Rei leaning against the checkout desk, looking still a bit angry. The air between the popular girl and the genius was tense, with a discomfort she couldn't understand lingering.

"You can't take them for more than a day, I'm afraid," Ami said to the taller girl as she scanned the books into the computer.

"I know," was the gruff reply.

Hotaru saw the computer screen that displayed the raven-haired teen's account with the library, surprised to see a long list of books borrowed on record. Okay, so she was a little smarter than she thought, no big deal.

"You have an overdue book," the school Goth found herself saying in a tone that was considered polite for her.

To her, and Ami's, amazement, the Queen Bee didn't bristle as she had before, keeping her face expressionless as she arched a brow.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Chaucer's _Canterbury Tales_ is overdue."

Rei's brow knitted together and Hotaru found herself mildly surprised the teen looked like she actually cared. A slender hand reached into her bag and pulled out a Palm Pilot.

"By how many days?"

"One," Ami responded.

"Hn, I'll bring back tomorrow."

The Queen Bee grabbed the books she came for and was out the door without as much as look in the other two girls' direction. Hotaru leaned back in her chair, pen tapping against her notebook. Ami looked over at her, a concerned frown on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Saiyuki's punk said with a shrug. "Just that that's the first time I've talked to Hino."

Her companion felt a sinking feeling settle in her stomach. Something was definitely off.

* * *

Zoicite smiled at the fan girls that waited outside of the tennis courts, stopping to exchange a few words with one or two of them that he knew. Unlike most of the other boys, who headed for the school to shower, the blonde walked towards the parking lot. He whistled a happy little tune as he dug in his gym bag for the keys to his car. After several minutes, he finally found them and looked up.

A young man with shoulder-length platinum blonde hair sat on his hood, arms crossed and eyes closed. A small smile appeared on Zoicite's face as excitement bubbled in his blue eyes.

"Hello, Kunzite, get out of practice early?"

The taller teen opened his eyes and regarded the smiling blonde, a small smile tugging on his lips. He stood, walking over to Zoicite and grabbed his gym bag.

"Yes, the coach is just training the newbies."

"Did he let you go?" Zoicite asked, opening the trunk.

"Not exactly."

The blonde fixed the other teen a look that was a mix of disbelief, amusement, and disapproval. He received a small smile in return.

"So, how'd you escape?"

"I just didn't show up."

"Kunzite!" the tennis player scolded softly.

"I wanted to see you."

A blush appeared on the shorter blonde's face, silencing him effectively. Kunzite's smile widened as he caressed Zoicite's cheek with a calloused hand, causing the other teen's blush to darken considerably. His fingers traced the strawberry blonde's jaw, coming to a stop at his chin and lifting his face up.

"Ku-Kunzite..."

The football player silenced him before he could say anything else. The kiss was brief and soft, without the fire and passion Zoicite was accustomed to from the taller blonde. He wasn't complaining, though. Any kiss was better than none at all.

"I missed you."

The confession was unexpected, but then again, this entire meeting was just that, unexpected. The tennis player could do nothing other than pull the other teen down for another kiss.

This one last longer, much longer. Both boys were out of breath by the time they parted, Zoicite's face flushed. Kunzite smiled and traced the other teen's swollen lips with his thumb.

The shorter teen's nose picked up a scent, something subtle. He knew, however, that it was in way Kunzite's. He always smelled of musk and soap. This was sweeter... like flowers... like a girl. Like...

-------Flashback------

Zoicite rolled his blue eyes as Jadeite walked off with some girl, who was trying too hard to seem mature. Poor fool, she was getting more than she bargained for.

The blonde had learned long ago not to pity anyone in this game. Because that's all high school was, a game. There were winners and there were losers. That girl was a loser, since she wasn't pretty enough to make it as a popular girl, nor did she possess enough charm to keep his friend interested for too long.

"Zoey!"

Blue eyes sought out the girl he knew the voice belonged to, finding her easily. Minako was making her way over to him, people parting to allow her to pass. In her right hand was a half-empty cup of Coke and Rum.

"Hey, gorgeous," Zoicite greeted, hugging the blonde.

"What are you doing here all by yourself? I thought you'd have picked someone by now, like Jadeite."

"You know me better than that."

"Waiting for Kunzite?" Minako's disappointed blue eyes told her friend she already knew the answer. "You can't keep doing this, Zoey. He's not remotely serious about what you have with him."

The volleyball player just reaffirmed what the blonde boy knew to be true, but that didn't stop him from hurting. He plastered a smile on his face and wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders.

"Don't worry about me, all right?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth when he felt someone brush against him. The smell of lilies reached his nose and he looked to his right.

Kunzite, with his arms wrapped around a skinny little brunette, walked past him. Zoicite opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when the girl leaned up and whispered something in the football player's ear. Whatever it was, the platinum blonde smirked and quickly pulled her in the direction of one of the bedrooms in the house.

Zoicite stood frozen, not sure whether he wanted to scream, cry, or tear that bimbo away from the football player. He walked out instead, with Minako at his heels.

-------End Flashback--------

Zoicite pulled away from Kunzite as if burned, his blue eyes ablaze with anger and hurt. The football player frowned, a confused expression on his handsome face.

"What's wrong?"

The concern in the blue eyes was enough for the tennis player to hesitate. Part of him screamed out to push the taller boy away, to forget about whatever they had between them. But he couldn't, couldn't forget.

"Nothing," he said with a weak smile.

Kunzite smiled, relieved, before cocking his head boyishly.

"How about we go grab a bite to eat?"

The tennis player nodded, allowing the other teen to lead him off school property and to a small café nearby. Maybe one of these days he'll be able to tell his sometimes boyfriend just exactly what was wrong.

* * *

Haruka stretched, blue eyes scanning the crowd of students on the lawn in front of the school. She smiled or nodded at a few of the girls that greeted her while exchanging a few words with the occasional guy that spoke to her. Where in the world was she?

With a tire yawn, the track star reached into her bag and pulled out a binder, flipping it open to retrieve a sheet of music. She dug for a pencil, finding it after a few moments before turning to the music.

Going through the fingering of the piece on the bench she sat on, the blonde imagined what it would sound like when she'd get the chance to play it. It wasn't half bad, and combined with her partner's half, she knew it sounded great.

But something was missing. She didn't quite know what, exactly, but she knew the piece needed something special. Something that bridged her skill with that of her partner's. They were both great musicians in their own right, but had yet found a balance between them.

With a sigh, Haruka closed her blue eyes to get a moment's rest. Her mind searched furiously for a way to make the piece sound less awkward, but nothing seemed to work. It was beyond annoying. She was one of the best pianists around, but she just couldn't think of a single way to make the duet work!

She opened her eyes when she felt her partner approach. It was ridiculous, but she could _feel_ the other girl, know instinctively when she was around. The idea was unbelievable, if not insane. And besides, why _her_ of all people?

With another soft sigh, she stood, her book bag in one hand and the music in the other.

A single smile from her partner chased away any frustration she felt at not being able to find exactly why the piece sounded strange.

* * *

"I'm thinking about doing the musical."

Minako only smiled when her lover arched a brow and stopped stirring her coffee.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it sounds like fun."

Crystal blue eyes stared as a manicured hand picked up the fine china, bringing the cup to a pair of dark red lips. A mischievous little smile appeared on the blonde's face as she remember the feel of those same lips on hers only minutes ago.

"I'm sure you'll get the lead, no problem."

The popular girl blushed, looking down and sipping her cappuccino quickly to hide it.

"You serious?"

Her lover gave her a small, but dazzling smile.

"Of course."

Minako flipped her hair over her shoulder, ignoring the looks she was getting from the male population in the small coffee house.

"They still haven't decided what musical they're doing though."

"If you want the part," came the teasing response, "you won't let something as insignificant as that stop you."

The volleyball player rolled her eyes, wiping her lips on a napkin.

"In that case, I think I will go for it."

Her girlfriend's eyes followed her movements as she took out her wallet, placing some money on the table and standing. She was worried for a moment that she had upset her lover with the last comment, her mouth opening to say something.

"I'll see you tonight," Minako said, cutting her off.

The blonde leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on her lover's cheek before grabbing her purse and walking out.

The woman left behind sighed and massaged her temples. She just had to open her mouth.

* * *

Okay, it's been a while since I updated. I've been lazy and busy. Junior year's a bitch.

So, in this chapter, I established a couple of relationships that are going to develop as the plot progresses. Hotaru and Rei's relationship, of course, is going to take center stage. Kunzite and Zoicite's little "thing" is going to get an occasional scene or two, depending on what I want to do with the two of them. Haruka and her partner, of course, will take center stage, literally, eventually. As for Minako and her lover, they'll be very, very important towards the middle and the end.

There'll be more coming up, but it's not going to be very teen movie-ish humor. I originally wanted it to be kind of like the typical "everything that can go wrong in a humorous way for Rei does" kind of thing, but I think I'll make it a little more serious. But if you guys want it heavily-humor based, tell me. I'm always more than happy to lighten up a bit.

Well, I think that's the note for now. Later!


	4. The Scene In The Lunchroom

Sweet Surrender

"I came, I saw, I conquered."

"You got the first two down."

Rei turned around and smiled when she saw Haruka approach. The tall woman wrapped an arm around her waist and looked at the window. She spotted what her friend was looking at almost immediately.

"Any luck?"

"I have no idea where to even start."

The track star chuckled softly at the frustration and annoyance she heard. She nuzzled the Queen Bee's hair affectionately.

"You'll be fine."

"Thank god Jadeite didn't put a time limit."

"I don't recall you ever doubting your abilities this much…"

Rei sighed, pulling away from Haruka and pressing her forehead against the glass. Hotaru Tomoe was sitting under a tree, reading and listening to her CD player. Not a surprise.

"I don't know, I just feel like everything's falling apart."

"How so?"

The teen shrugged and ran a hand through her hair.

"I don't know. I just get this feeling."

"Has Masterson been bugging you again?"

Rei felt better at the protectiveness she heard in the blonde's voice, shaking her head and plastering on what she hoped to be a convincing smile.

"No. No, I guess I'm just stressed."

Haruka pulled the Queen Bee into her arms and gave her a tight hug, kissing her forehead.

"Just relax. You're going to nail this. Or should I say her?"

The shorter teen laughed, shaking her head.

"I'd better."

* * *

Rei smiled when she heard Haruka's deep bellow of a laugh, enjoying the way Zoicite blushed at the teasing. Jadeite slapped the tennis player on the back before messing up his ponytail. The action caused the indignant teen to scream and chase his taller friend into the cafeteria, threatening to expose Mr. Snugglekins… whatever that was. Rei had a feeling she didn't want to know.

Minako rolled her eyes when she saw the scene the two "men" of The Blondes were causing. Jadeite was using a table of freshmen girls as a shield (something they were very happy to be, despite the fact that they were getting food hurled at them) while Zoicite tossed whatever he can get his hands on at him.

"I think we should break that up before they get into trouble."

Rei and Minako gave Haruka a look, causing the tall woman to chuckle and shake her head.

"Right, what _was_ I thinking?"

"You weren't," the Queen Bee replied haughtily, tossing her hair over her shoulder, though her eyes twinkled with mirth.

The two blondes shared a look before taking a step back and bowing repeatedly.

"Yes, your Queen Beeness. Of course, your Queen Beeness."

Rei rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips, the first real one the two had seen in a while. It took the three a few seconds to realize they were creating more of a stir, rather than controlling it.

Minako and Haruka straightened, as Zoicite seemed to calm. Jadeite came out from behind the sighing freshmen, tossing them a wink, sending them into another fit of giggles and adoring sighs. They followed Rei to a table near the center of the room.

The five teens took their seats, starting a conversation about Jadeite's newest girlfriend. Or fling. Or whatever you wanted to call it. The blonde was absent during the conversation, however, since he just _had_ to fill that empty void he called a stomach.

They quickly steered the conversation in a different direction when the teen came back. Not because they didn't want him to know they were talking behind his back. Oh, no. Keeping Jadeite on his toes was the best way to make sure he behaves and to keep him relatively tame.

That and they were just bored of that conversation. Not like whoever he was currently with was going to be his girlfriend next week, or even tomorrow.

"So, Ruka, how's that music thing going?" Minako asked, filing her nails.

"Not bad," was the curt reply.

The four shared a look and Zoicite leaned forward, ready for some juicy gossip.

"Come on, Haruka, who are you working with, anyhow? You never told us…"

"Because it's supposed to be a secret."

"Is she hot?" Jadeite asked, ignoring the looks he got from his friends.

"None of your business."

Minako and Rei shared a look, the former hiding her smile behind her hand. Oh, was the track star protective. They could practically hear the growl behind the mumble. But before either of them could comment, the doors to the cafeteria opened and in walked Ayumi Sakamoto and her cheerleaders.

Zoicite frowned, casting his blue eyes in their direction, his nose wrinkling. He hated Sakamoto. She was a complete bitch. And her flirting and hanging all over his Kunzite had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Haruka sighed softly, relieved the pressure was off of her. She knew she would crack eventually if they kept questioning her. Something about Jadeite's persistence combined with Minako's charming grins, Zoicite's understanding smile and Rei's piercing eyes made it impossible for anyone to keep a secret from any one of them, much less all four.

Ayumi walked into the cafeteria like she owned the school. Her eyes scanned the room once, seeing the Queen Bee and The Blondes at one of the tables in the middle. She felt jealousy wash over her, jealousy and anger. No matter how popular she was, she'd _never_ be on their level.

But if she even wanted to be anywhere _close_, she had to do something to catch their attention. So far, they've treated her like any other cheerleader on the squad, and not the captain. She deserved far more respect than that. But in order to get it, she'd have to impress them somehow.

She instinctively headed for the "reject" table, where the misfits and outsiders of the school seemed to flock. Not a bad selection today. There was the little Goth punk, the computer nerd Melvin, the foreign exchange student from Russia and…

Ayumi smirked viciously, finding the perfect target. She could feel a few pairs of eyes on her, just waiting for her to pounce.

"Well, if it isn't the resident dykes."

A hush fell over the entire room, every pair of eyes on her.

The two girls she'd addressed didn't even bother to look up, though everyone else at the table looked up at her. It only enraged her.

"What's wrong? Too busy licking pussy to even talk?"

That one did it. The brunette looked up, turning her burning green eyes to glare at the confident cheerleader. She felt a vicious glee well up inside.

"Got a problem, homo?"

"Fuck off, Sakamoto."

"Ooooh, tough words, Kino. How are you going to make me? Chase me away with your dildo?"

Saiyuki's tough girl growled, her face flushed as she made a move to stand. A small hand placed on her arm was all it took to stop her. The anger faded from her mind as she turned to her girlfriend.

"Whipped, are we now? Are all bull butches pussy trained like you?"

Makoto bit down on the inside of her cheek, wanting nothing more than to wipe the floor with the human Barbie doll.

"And Mizuno, you know, if you were really desperate, I'm sure Melvin would've dated you. After all, you computer geeks stick together, right?"

The blue-haired genius did little more than blink and continue eating her lunch. She wouldn't give Sakamoto the satisfaction. No matter how much she wanted to do something… out of character.

"But I guess you two are just a match made in heaven. The girl that couldn't get a boyfriend because she'd bore them and the one that kept scaring the boys away. Is it really true that you asked to see a guy's hard drive, Mizuno?"

Makoto clenched her jaw, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to control the rage she felt bubbling inside of her. It wouldn't help to break the cheerleader's jaw. Make her feel better, maybe, but it'd just bring more trouble than the dumb bitch was worth.

She looked at Ami, who kept her head down. The slight trembling of her lips was more than enough reason for the brunette to throw her restraint to the winds and do something to shut Sakamoto up.

"Where's all this gay pride I've been hearing about? Don't see any around here."

Ayumi stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Who dared interrupt her? And to even _think_ about touching her? Well, whoever it is, he must have a death wish. She whipped around, mouth opening to tell the idiot to get the hell away from her when she saw whom it was.

The Queen Bee herself stood behind her, expression as unreadable as always. Not a single hair was of place as she regarded the cheerleader with those eyes of hers, a bored look on her pretty face.

"You've been bitching and bitching, Sakamoto. I can't even think. And you haven't said a single thing of value or anything worth listening to. So, why don't you do us all a favor and shut your mouth."

Rei sounded bored. Flat out bored. Not angry, not annoyed, not impressed but bored and exasperated. The cheerleader felt her stomach drop. All that work, and the teen didn't even bat an eyelash.

"Rei-sama-"

"That's Hino-sama to you," she said, her voice sweet… sickeningly so.

"Yes, Hino-sama."

Ayumi didn't quite know why, but she was shaking ever so slightly. She had a feeling in her bones she'd angered the Queen Bee, but couldn't for the life of her figure out why.

"I never want this to be repeated, understand? If you're going to say something, say something worth the air you're wasting and the time of whoever's listening. Or else it's better to simply keep quiet."

Ayumi nodded weakly. What Rei was saying was for her to come up with better insults, it seemed. But she just _knew_ it wasn't meant that way. She might not get the highest grades in her classes, but she's survived this long and climbed this high on the social ladder. That meant being able to understand the underlying meaning behind each word and look. And everything she was picking up told her to stay the hell away from Mizuno and Kino if she wanted to stay on the Queen Bee's good side.

"Why are you still standing here? Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

Knowing a dismissal when she heard one, the cheerleader led her group away quickly, but never running or seeming to be in a hurry.

The room was still silent, shocked at Rei's uncharacteristic behavior. The lavender-eyed teen impassively looked around the room to see if anyone dared to challenge her, finding none.

She then turned her attention to the reject table, her gaze settling on Ami. The blue-haired genius smiled appreciatively, her eyes warm. Rei nodded at her almost imperceptibly before spinning on her heels and walking back to her table.

Zoicite leaned over and asked the Queen Bee about a new car, which broke the spell that seemed to fall over the cafeteria. Conversation resumed all around, the recent events on everyone's minds and lips.

Across the room from The Blondes', everyone at the reject table stared opened at Ami with a mix of confusion, awe and disbelief. The young genius, however, ignored them all. Well, all of them except one: a certain girl whose eyes were trained on the Queen Bee.

* * *

Hotaru tapped her feet to the beat pounding from her headphones as she leaned against the lamppost. Her violet eyes scanned the street, waiting impatiently for her friend to show up. Why was he always late?

She skipped to the next track, the first few notes of an all too familiar song washing over her. She knew it'd be only moments before that haunting voice would pierce through the sound of the synthesizers in the background.

She knew this song by heart. How could she not? After all, she was the one that created this music. It was meant to match the pounding in her heart whenever she felt overwhelmed by it all. Meant to be an airy, almost surreal escape from her life.

"Hey!"

She growled when someone pulled her to a strong chest, a hand messing up her hair. She pushed away, finding a smirking boy behind her, arms crossed.

"You're such an asshole."

"You love me anyway," was the cheeky response.

"Whatever you say."

The blonde boy chuckled and pulled her to his side as he walked down the street.

"So, how's life in snob central?"

Hotaru shrugged, letting the teen guide her into their usual hangout, an arcade/ karaoke place. As usual, the owner came out and greeted them, telling them that their friends were waiting in the usual room.

"Gippal! Hotaru! About time you two got here!"

The Punk of Saiyuki smiled when she saw her friends lounging around the room. Gippal sat down on one of the black leather couches while she slipped between two girls.

"Why you two so late?"

"Someone," Hotaru said, glaring at the cocky teen flirting with a cute blonde, "had to show up ten minutes late."

"Hey, not my fault the ladies love me."

The green-eyed girl he was feeling up rolled her eyes and punched his arm before getting up and moving.

"Aww, come on, Rikku. You know you liked it."

"How about I teach you to keep your hands off my girlfriend?"

Everyone turned to the newcomer at the door. Narrowed crimson eyes glared at the spiky haired blonde smiling innocently. Rikku giggled, letting loose one of her thousand watt smiles on the leather-clad girl at the door.

"And why are _you_ late?"

The silver-haired girl ignored her girlfriend's teasing, walking over and sitting by one of the girls. Gippal's eye never left Paine and used this chance to check out the teenager she sat next to, smirking when her violet eyes met his.

"Something at school."

"Does she _ever_ give anything but the bare bones?"

Everyone laughed while Paine gave the blonde guy with the mohawk one of her patented glares. Rikku caught the look and stood, planting herself her girlfriend's lap, straddling her. Without another word, she leaned over and kissed the silver-haired teen.

"If there's one thing I like more than having hot girls kiss me," Gippal said, leaning forward with a smirk, "it's hot girls kissing each other."

"You said it, bro," the other blonde guy, Zell, said.

"Morons," Hotaru mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"This is nothing new."

"It's still annoying."

"Will you two cheer up?" the last boy in the group said, chewing on his toothpick.

"Shut up, Sano."

"Aww, you love me, don't you, Raven?"

"This is pathetic," Hotaru mumbled under her breath, wondering how the hell she knew these people.

It was pretty simple, actually. Or maybe deceivingly so. She'd known Paine ever since she was in junior high, the two of them bonding almost immediately. Or as immediately as two stubborn, quiet and sarcastic seventh graders could manage.

She'd met Rikku two years later, when she and Paine started going out. It was one relationship Hotaru had trouble understanding. Her friend was dark, depressing, sarcastic and at times even cruel. Her girlfriend, on the other hand, was bubbly, blonde, energetic and maybe a little naïve.

But as time went on, she realized it didn't have to understand. All she had to do was notice how happy the two of them were, despite the ups and downs in their relationship, and it made sense.

It was Rikku that introduced her to Gippal. Apparently, they'd known each other since birth. Their parents were best friends going a long way back and so they'd grown up around each other. No one could really tell if their relationship was like that of brother and sister or girlfriend and boyfriend. They flirted, they teased and they were very loose around each other. Hotaru knew Paine was jealous sometimes, though her friend knew better than to doubt Rikku.

Plus, Gippal was a flirt by nature. He'd look at and screw anything that moved and/or breathed. He was goof ball with a winning smile and a charming personality, once he decided to stop being an asshole, of course. No one knew why they put up with him, but they did.

Then there was Sanosuke, or Sano for short. He was older than the rest of them, but no one seemed to mind. Especially since he was their source of alcohol. He was a sophomore at the university nearby and was Gippal's stepbrother. He rarely hung out with them, but they didn't mind when he was around. The guy loved to gamble and drink, and was too much like Gippal for the girls to handle sometimes.

Then came the last guy of their little group, Zell Dincht. He really was a sweetheart, just a bit… slow, to say the least. He was bearable, unlike his two best friends. A hotdog obsessed junior at the nearby high school where most of her friends went, he'd been crushing pretty badly on Raven for a while.

Speaking of Raven. The Goth girl with a fetish for blue and black has been Hotaru's friend for a while now. They'd met at the library one afternoon and hit it off. She was quiet with a wit so dry it made the Sahara look like a watery paradise. She was one of Hotaru's closest confidants, but the girl knew there was something Raven was hiding from her.

"Earth to Hotaru!" Rikku screamed before pouncing on her.

The blonde and Saiyuki's punk landed in a heap on the floor, a jumble of limbs. The guys were howling with laughter while Raven tried to get the two untangled. Paine was too busy trying not to chuckle herself to help.

"Owwie," Rikku mumbled as she got up, rubbing her head.

"You? What about me? I just got tackled by a flying blonde."

The blonde in question managed to stick her tongue out at the groaning Hotaru before she squeezed her eyes shut. If only her head would stop spinning.

"Did you hit your head?"

She responded to her girlfriend's concern with groan. She felt herself being lifted and then seated in a very warm lap.

"Idiot."

Hotaru sat back down on the couch. Though the word had been spoken gruffly, she could hear the underlying concern.

"I'm okay," Rikku said, smiling weakly.

"How about I go order you some fries, that should make it all better."

The dizzy blonde shot Gippal a smile before he slipped out of the room. Hotaru sighed and leaned back. Another normal day.

* * *

Hotaru waved to her friends as they parted at the bus station. She was the only one headed towards her particular part of town, and she didn't really mind.

The teen slipped her headphones over her ears as she got on the bus, taking a seat in the back. Her violet eyes stared out the window, though she had long since memorized all the buildings and landmarks on the route.

The sounds of her newest remixes replaced the screaming of one Chester Bennington. She bobbed her head to the beat, foot tapping along unconsciously.

The last that she ever saw him,

Carried away by a moonlight shadow.

It's been one of her favorite songs for years. But she'd never had a chance to make her own remix of it until now. When she found the perfect singer.

She'd found her online, actually. She put a few of her sample dance remixes online and mentioned briefly how she was interested in finding a singer to try out some of the pieces she'd written herself. She never expected anyone to respond.

But someone had. Whoever she was went by the name "Aoide," something Hotaru found appropriate. Aoide was one of the original three Muses in Greek mythology, the Muse of song.

Saiyuki's punk had been skeptical, but curious since someone had actually responded. So, she sent Aoide the lyrics and a copy of the music. She was more than pleased by the file Aoide had sent back. She sang the piece, a capella.

Her voice was nothing out of the ordinary. But there was something about it that struck a cord with Hotaru. That made her… tremble.

Whatever it was, it made Hotaru ask her to sing for all her songs and remixes. She's done quite a few pieces with Aoide, most of which would never see the light of day. It was something for her and her online singer to enjoy. The couple she let a few of her DJ friends use.

She leaned back in the seat, closing her eyes.

What happened in the lunchroom today was still haunting her. It wasn't unusual for one of the popular kids to make fun of them, a few times in somewhere as public as the lunchroom. Being teased when you were an outsider, or even if you didn't exactly fit in, was to be expected, hated perhaps, but expected nonetheless.

But none had ever dared to make a comment about anyone's sexual preference. Maybe because the Queen Bee and her Blondes were all very loose about that. They didn't care who it was they kissed or fucked, whether it was a boy or girl, whether it was someone their age or a college student. All they cared about was having fun and scratching that itch.

She didn't know whether she was glad the Queen Bee had stepped in. One the one hand, she got Ayumi to back off. On the other, she made everyone at the table look like cowards and idiots for not standing up for Makoto and Ami.

'Don't think about this, Tomoe. You saw the look Hino and Ami shared, there's something going on there. Besides, she just told the cheerleader to shut up, she didn't stand up for Mako and Ami.'

Hotaru was unconvinced, but she forced herself to believe it. And to forget it.

* * *

Done! The chapter was crap, I know. It was stupid and hastily put together and I apologize. As for Ayumi… I just have to put in one really bitch social climber because… well, that's a character almost every single fic that deals with high school has. I thought I'd be able to, ya know, go beyond the mold. But apparently not. Sue me.

Okay, I don't own Sailor Moon. But I also really don't own any of the characters, save Ayumi, in this chapter.

Rikku, Paine and Gippal are from Final Fantasy X-2 (great game, get it if you don't already have it). Sanosuke is Mr. Sagara himself from Rurouni Kenshin. Zell Dincht is from Final Fantasy VIII. Raven is from Teen Titans. And… that's it.

I didn't wanna just throw in a lot of OCs, so I figured, why not just grab characters from other sources. God, I feel like such a horrible author now.

Oh, and the song Hotaru remixed is "Moonlight Shadow." Sooooo good.

Hm…. Review, tell me what's wrong with it. I think the entire chapter is messed up but… I might edit it later.

See ya.


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